Calbiotech, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I contract by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material command. Under terms of the agreement, Calbiotech will develop analyte specific reagents (ASRs) for the diagnosis of Dengue virus.
Dengue virus is a mosquito-born flavivirus that represents a major threat to military forces deployed to tropical areas of the world. Due to its worldwide distribution, U.S. military and civilian personnel deployed overseas are at high risk of being infected. The global prevalence of Dengue has grown dramatically in recent decades, spreading from 9 to some 40 countries. The disease is now endemic in more than 100 countries in Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. Not only is the number of cases increasing as the disease is spreading to new areas, but explosive outbreaks are occurring. In 2007, Venezuela reported over 80 000 cases.
Technology developed under this research project will enable an affordable FDA-approved method for diagnosing Dengue fever in blood/sera. This will enable medical personnel to adequately diagnose and react to Dengue fever outbreaks.
This Phase I award will allow Calbiotech to compete for $730,000 in Phase II funding. A Phase II project would expand the work to develop ASRs for Rift Valley fever, Sand Fly fever-Toscana, Crimean-Congo fever, Central European Tick-borne encephalitis and Chikungunya viruses in blood/sera from clinically ill patients.
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